Last week I was sporting a smile that was beaming from ear to ear. You know the kind of smile that makes your face hurt in a good way.  As my loyal readers know, my family is my “why”…  actually they are my absolute everything.  Now that does not mean that I am the perfect father, or the perfect husband.  Oh no, I am very, very human.  I lose my cool with my kids, I say stupid things to my wife… yep, I am just plain old human.  In fact my kids and wife might tell you I am a grumpy old man. But, I am blessed by God to have an amazing family who energizes me with each passing day.

Back to my story.  It was Friday morning last week and Erin and I were at my youngest son’s school for an award ceremony.  This is the second year in a row Benjamin has received this award and to me it represents one of the most important character traits, honesty.  I am so proud of him… I feel like King Kong banging on my chest with an ear shattering roar.

As soon as we returned home on Friday, my wife framed the award and hung it in his room as a reminder of his achievement. Erin and I have always taught our three children the value of honesty and to see the fruit of this teaching is very rewarding.

So this morning as I was getting Benjamin ready for school, I kept looking at the award hanging in his room and began to really contemplate the meaning of honesty from several different levels. But the area of honesty I want to share with you today is “being honest with yourself”.

You see, I started to think about my business and how honesty applies to my success.  Through my evaluation of my business, I began to ask myself certain questions and really answer these questions with complete honesty.  It is my hope you will take some time and ask yourself these questions and give them an honest answer.  Your answers may surprise you, but they may also help you overcome some challenges you may be facing.

Question One: Are you passionate about your business? I have identified the fitness industry for my business.  I have a burning desire to assist others in achieving their optimal health through proper nutrition and physical fitness. Each day I awaken completely jazzed about the opportunity of helping others get healthy. Can you honestly say you are passionate about your business?

Question Two: Have you defined your ‘why”? I am not talking about goals here.  I am talking about your underlying desires; I am talking about the deeper things in your soul that will keep you going when your goals seem like they are too tough to achieve… like the weeks when you can’t seem to find one single person interested in your business.    As I stated earlier, my family is my “why”.  They are my heart, soul, and spirit.

Question Three: Are your dreams as solid as 12 inch solid steel? You see a dream is something you are willing to overcome any obstacle to achieve; otherwise, it is just a fantasy. Success comes with a price, it can mean not watching the latest TV shows, saying no to golf outings, working late into the night and getting up early, attending Saturday trainings in the middle of the day, and many other sacrifices. But if your dream is big enough, the sacrifices seem so very small.  Can you honestly profess you are willing to stop at nothing (of course I mean legal and ethical) to achieve your dreams?

Question Four: Do you use your allotted time each day to move your business forward?  This can be a real tricky question.  You see, I am not asking if you are keeping yourself busy with activity, I am asking if you are working on activities that will move you toward your desired outcome.   This is an area I have been working on diligently over the past couple of months because when I initially asked myself this question; my honest answer was a resounding “NO”.  It is easy to check email, and cruise the social network sites and chat with friends on IM and feel like we are being busy.   BUT… how much time are you spending doing the tasks that put money in your pocket – like talking with prospects?  Can you honestly say you are truly working in your allotted time each day?

Questions Five: Are you 100% sold on your current opportunity? I was listening to a great training by Mark Hoverson last week and that was the question he asked… he hit me between the eyes like Mike Tyson in his prime. Mark basically said if you have any reservations about your current opportunity, then you need to find another one.  I could not agree more!  I am a firm believer in being a product of your product or service…. If it doesn’t pass my “mother” test, it is time to move on.  You see, if I can’t honestly tell my Mom about my business without any feelings of doubt, then I am in the wrong business.  Can you honestly look at your current opportunity and say you are 100% sold?  Would you present it to your best friend if you knew they were spending their last bit of disposable income on it?

Being honest is not always easy, but honesty can be quite liberating. Take some time this week to think about these questions. If you answer them honestly, you should be able to make some small or large adjustments to assist you in achieving your dreams.

As always, I wish each of you amazing success and joy.

If you resonate with this and have some ideas or encouraging words to share, I’d love to hear from you down below. And if you think the people over on Twitter would benefit, a ReTweet is always appreciated too, and if you think your FaceBook following would benefit from these words feel free to share them with your friends.

Scott

PS, I wanted to share with you just a glimpse inside the eyes of a very proud Dad.  Remember to love you kids with your whole hearts as they are the ultimate blessing from God!